Mobius sounds of ethnic groups

Shanghai Concert Hall will take its new production Mobius Concert: Compositions by Zhang Meng to participate in an international online showcase in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Royal Albert Hall in London, United Kingdom, later this month.

The concert is the second commissioned production of the Shanghai Concert Hall for its Music Infinity series.

Consisting of five chapters, the concert took place on March 26, featuring music from four ethnic groups in China, namely Han, Mongolian, Uygur and Tibetan.

Zhang, the composer, played the sheng, a traditional free reed instrument, in the first chapter, and the piano in one of the intermezzos.

As the concert started with music inspired by the sounds of ancient Chinese bronze bells, Zhang later introduced electronic instruments and urban construction noise alongside visual projections of urban landscapes, interstellar fantasy and abstract forms, taking the audience on a multidimensional journey.

Shanghai-based music critic Qian Lianshui describes Zhang’s creation as a “fusion of diverse music elements … in the rough texture of the synthesizer and rock music instruments. The cello plays a beautiful melody that comforted the audience in confusion”.

Cadillac Shanghai Concert Hall, a 91-year-old music theater in the center of the city, launched the Music Infinity series in 2016 to explore new possibilities in music performance and tap into the potential of young emerging musicians.

In 2018, the concert hall commissioned a music dance production called Shui Qiang, or The Voice of Water, for the Music Infinity series. The production was later performed in Beijing and at the Avignon Theater Festival in France, earning critical acclaim.

“We hope to continue introducing new projects to the Music Infinity series, and create artworks that resonate with contemporary times and the world,” says Ye Fei, deputy general manager of Shanghai Concert Hall.

Ye says Shanghai Concert Hall is also working with multiple performing art agencies on the tour plans of the production.